University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt Adds Xavier Johnson to 2018 Recruiting Class
5/9/2018 8:28:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – Head coach Jeff Capel announced the addition of another guard to Pitt's 2018 recruiting class in the form of Xavier Johnson, an Arlington, Va., native who recently signed his National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Pittsburgh and play for the Panthers next season.
"Xavier is an outstanding guard prospect with the athleticism and skill set to be an impact player on our team," said Capel. "His quickness and competitiveness are his biggest assets and he has also shown the ability to use both to take over the game on either end of the floor. Xavier has the opportunity to be a building block for the future of our program. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to work with him as he continues his growth as a player and as a person."
A 6-foot-3 four-star point guard, Johnson is coming off a senior season where he led Bishop O'Connell to a 30-9 record and No. 5 state ranking after averaging 18.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He topped the 30-point mark four times and had four double-doubles en route to earning Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors. Johnson, a McDonald's All-American nominee, was also named first team all-state by the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association and was Most Outstanding Player at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament.
Johnson is rated as the seventh-best prospect in the state of Virginia and the 33rd-ranked point guard in the nation by ESPN, while being ranked ninth in the state by 247Sports.
His signing comes shortly after Capel's announcement that four-star recruit Trey McGowens is coming to Pitt, who's ranked at No. 80 in the nation by Rivals, becoming the Panthers' highest rated recruit (according to Rivals rankings) since Steven Adams (No. 5) and James Robinson (No. 59) in 2012.
Capel and his coaching staff, featuring three former Division I head coaches – Milan Brown, Jason Capel and Tim O'Toole – have been hard at work building a roster ready to compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Johnson and McGowens are currently joined by a returning cast of Malik Ellison, Khameron Davis, Terrell Brown, Shamiel Stevenson, Peace Ilegomah, Samson George and Jared Wilson-Frame.
Pitt has additional scholarships remaining and continues to examine roster options for the 2018-19 season.
Season tickets go on sale Tuesday, May 8 and can be purchased by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 1-800-643-7488 or online at PittsburghPanthers.com/tickets. In early April, Pitt announced season ticket price restructuring for the 2018-19 season that has created reduced pricing in nearly every location of the Petersen Events Center.
Pitt will reduce membership costs related to ticket sales in response to recent federal tax legislation. Effective Jan. 1, 2018, payments made to fulfill priority seating and parking opportunities are no longer tax deductible. While no longer tax deductible, these scholarship-seating payments will continue to be utilized to support the academic and athletic needs of our student-athletes and Panther Club members will continue to receive other great benefits.
The Panthers non-conference schedule has not been finalized for the upcoming season but Pitt will once again have an impressive ACC home slate with Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Virginia Tech coming to the Petersen Events Center. A complete schedule featuring dates, times and TV designations will be released at a later date.
Johnson received offers from over 20 Division I institutions including Georgetown, Nebraska, NC State, Creighton and Georgia Tech before deciding on the Panthers.
"Xavier is an outstanding guard prospect with the athleticism and skill set to be an impact player on our team," said Capel. "His quickness and competitiveness are his biggest assets and he has also shown the ability to use both to take over the game on either end of the floor. Xavier has the opportunity to be a building block for the future of our program. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to work with him as he continues his growth as a player and as a person."
A 6-foot-3 four-star point guard, Johnson is coming off a senior season where he led Bishop O'Connell to a 30-9 record and No. 5 state ranking after averaging 18.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He topped the 30-point mark four times and had four double-doubles en route to earning Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors. Johnson, a McDonald's All-American nominee, was also named first team all-state by the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association and was Most Outstanding Player at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament.
Johnson is rated as the seventh-best prospect in the state of Virginia and the 33rd-ranked point guard in the nation by ESPN, while being ranked ninth in the state by 247Sports.
His signing comes shortly after Capel's announcement that four-star recruit Trey McGowens is coming to Pitt, who's ranked at No. 80 in the nation by Rivals, becoming the Panthers' highest rated recruit (according to Rivals rankings) since Steven Adams (No. 5) and James Robinson (No. 59) in 2012.
Capel and his coaching staff, featuring three former Division I head coaches – Milan Brown, Jason Capel and Tim O'Toole – have been hard at work building a roster ready to compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Johnson and McGowens are currently joined by a returning cast of Malik Ellison, Khameron Davis, Terrell Brown, Shamiel Stevenson, Peace Ilegomah, Samson George and Jared Wilson-Frame.
Pitt has additional scholarships remaining and continues to examine roster options for the 2018-19 season.
Season tickets go on sale Tuesday, May 8 and can be purchased by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 1-800-643-7488 or online at PittsburghPanthers.com/tickets. In early April, Pitt announced season ticket price restructuring for the 2018-19 season that has created reduced pricing in nearly every location of the Petersen Events Center.
Pitt will reduce membership costs related to ticket sales in response to recent federal tax legislation. Effective Jan. 1, 2018, payments made to fulfill priority seating and parking opportunities are no longer tax deductible. While no longer tax deductible, these scholarship-seating payments will continue to be utilized to support the academic and athletic needs of our student-athletes and Panther Club members will continue to receive other great benefits.
The Panthers non-conference schedule has not been finalized for the upcoming season but Pitt will once again have an impressive ACC home slate with Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Virginia Tech coming to the Petersen Events Center. A complete schedule featuring dates, times and TV designations will be released at a later date.
Johnson received offers from over 20 Division I institutions including Georgetown, Nebraska, NC State, Creighton and Georgia Tech before deciding on the Panthers.
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